University of Pretoria etd - Butcher, A (2003) are the major clients, however location has resulted in a 2. Context third, minor client being involved, the Pretoria Technikon. 2.1 Macro Analysis 1.3 Ethnobotanic Research Centre [EBRC] Pretoria city lies between two green belts to the north and A research facility is to be established to unify these south. These greenbelts are linked to a series of parallel institutions, the Ethnobotanic Research Centre (EBRC) is to greenbelts by means of the Apies River which begins in fulfill this function. It will serve as a place for plant research the Fountains Valley to the south of the city. Along the river through consultation with traditional healers and laboratory there are a number of ecological assests, these include; testing. The EBRC will act as an educational tool by exposing the Groenkloof Nature Reserve, Wonderboom Nature the importance of these medical systems, through this, the Reserve, Bon Accord Dam, the three ridges (Salvokop at culture that resides within this practice will be exposed. UNISA, Witwatersberg at Daspoort, Magaliesberg at Wonderboompoort) and tributaries of the Apies, which Plant propagation will take place within a series of terrariums itself is a greenbelt. that specialise in medicinal plants from the climatic zones found around the country, which will be open to the public. Roads generally run parallel and perpendicular to the Apies River, with two highways, the N4 and the N1 forming the major axis. The N1 links Pretoria and Johannesburg to the South, with the N4 linking Pretoria to Hartbeespoort in the west and Witbank in the east. This axis continued from the micro axis in the city, formed by the crossing of Church and Paul Kruger street. This axis is repeated on a smaller scale within the city at Marabastad.
The environment becomes more rural towards the north forming important regions of indigenous vegetation, which are linked to the city through the mentioned movement spines.
These paths and nodes form the growth/gathering/trade cycle for medicinal plants for Pretoria and its surroundings.
003 CONTEXT 2.1 Apies RiverlinktoPretoria Witwatersberg range Bon AccordDam U U n n i i v v Skanskop e e r r s s Salvkop i i t t y y
o o f f
P P r r e Apies River e t t o o r r i i a a
e e t t d d
- -
B B u u t t c c h h e e r r , ,
Klapperkop A A
Magaliesberg range ( ( 2 2 Meintjieskop 0 0 0 0 PRETORIA CITY 3 3 ) )
N4 N1 004 University of Pretoria etd - Butcher, A (2003)
2.2 View south over Groenkloof nature reserve from Salvokop
Salvokop Voortrekker Monument
2.3 View South over Pretoria from Union Buildings
2.2 Meso Analysis public transport nodes of Belle Ombre in the north and the
2.2.1 Green open spaces Pretoria train station in the south (See fig.2.4)
Within the city there are a number of formal and informal 2.2.3 Cultural Installations green spaces The formal spaces are indicated in the open Places of cultural significance within the city are indicated in space map (See fig.2.4). Informal green spaces include the the cultural map (See fig.2.5). There is also a line of historical ridges in the north and south, the Apies River, Steenhoven assets that run along the Apies River (figxxx). Spruit, Walkerspruit and land south of Marabastad If the cultural map and the open space are overlayed, we undeveloped due to land claims. see a picture of linkage and place (Trancik, 1986, p98). This 2.2.2 Urban Spaces image indicates an implied cultural ring around the CBD
While the green spaces surround the CBD, the urban spaces that is intersected with a physical cultural axis. Parallel to this run through it, creating a strong north / south axis linking the axis in the north south direction, greenbelts inform the edges
005 CONTEXT University of Pretoria etd - Butcher, A (2003)
[3] [1]
[5] [2] [1] [2]
[4]
[6]
[2] [3]
[4]
Open Space Map 2.4 Green and Urban open spaces of the CBD. s
1-Pretoria Zoo / Zoological s 1-Church Square e e
c The cultural axis, due to its link to transport nodes and cultural gardens c 2-Pretorius Square a a p
2-Heroes Acre p 3-Zoo s
s facilities carries a high pedestrian movement. The cultural
n 3-Burgers Park 4-Melrose House n e a ring is not as active as the cultural axis as the installations are e 4-Calaldonian sports grounds 5-Sammy Marks Square b r r G 5-Union Buildings gardens U 6-Strijdom Square not connected through sight lines and paths.
CONTEXT 006 University of Pretoria etd - Butcher, A (2003)
[2] [1]
[3] [13]
[5] [18] [4] [17] [19] [6]
[3] [14] [9] [15] [7] [10] [8] [20]
[11]
[12]
[16
Cultural Installations Map
2.5 Cultural installations in Pretoria 1-Pretoria Zoological gardens 8-Transvaal Museum 14-Pretoria Art Museum 2-Aquarium and Snake park 9-Museum of Science and 15-Oeverzicht Art Village
s 3-State Model School Museum Technology 16-NZASM Houses n o
i l
t 4-Church Square 10-City Hall and Pretorius Square 17-Paul Kruger’s Church a a r l l 5-Palace of Justice 11-Melrose House 18-Kruger House u t a l t s u 6-Old Raadsaal 12-Pretoria Station 19-State Theatre n C I 7-African Window 13-Union Buildings 20-Burgers Park
007 CONTEXT University of Pretoria etd - Butcher, A (2003)
Overlayed Map 2.6 Combined maps showing linkage and place Church Street moves through this linkage system and connects to the Union Buildings, creating a sub-axis link to the Pretoria Art Gallery.
2.7 ‘Linkage’ and ‘Place’
CONTEXT 008 University of Pretoria etd - Butcher, A (2003)
2.3 Urban Form activity spine is assured.
Many cities in the vicinity of rivers will inevitably develop on Pretoria can be considered as a relatively young city, only the river banks whereby its water can be used for transport, as being established 1855. It was not forced to develop on the a food source and channelled for irrigation. Because the river, but was rather defined by the river, while water was river is such an important resource, development along it provided to the city from the Fountains via water furrows. celebrates the river and becomes an intense spine of Instead, in part due to its political footings and the activity. Fig.2.8 shows how this type of development has knowledge of what a contemporary city should look like, the taken place in a Japanese Agrarian rural village. The river Pretoria community was established above the river around starts as the interactive node with further development Church Square on a grid that was defined by openings in the spreading away from it leaving the town bounded by Daspoort and Schurweberg ridges (Fisher. Le Roux. Mare’, 1998, greenbelts. p61). Development occurred in the same way as previously mentioned with the buildings responsive face interacting The buildings develop with the responsive face towards the with the activity node of Church Square. As each layer of source of activity, in this case the river. With the responsive development occurred, it would inherit the responsibility of face river facing, interaction with the development and being the defensive edge.
Fig.2.11 shows in 1859 how Pretoria had already been established on a grid system. This development occurred in
2.9 River development
Development edge
Greenbelts bounding development
2.8 Japanese Agrarian village
009 CONTEXT University of Pretoria etd - Butcher, A (2003)
Church Square 2.10 Pretoria Map 1889 2.11 Pretoria Map 1859 Defensive edge of development an east/west direction due to the steeper gradients of the as a natural resource. ridges in the north and south. Fig.2.10 indicates when the As the city expanded, there would have been little emphasis development reached the river, already by 1889, the grid on preserving the natural environment within the city pattern was disrupted and could not continue in its because of the vast landscape of fauna and flora conventional manner. With the responsive face towards surrounding it. Development pushed the biophysical Church Square, the defensive edge was left facing towards environment further and further away leaving a few isolated the river. With its back on the river, a number of green spaces patches that only remain because they are uninhabitable, where left along the river forming a weak greenbelt, these being the Apies River and the ridges in the north and unfortunately with no interaction these spaces became lost, south. hostile spaces. Fig.2.9 shows the idea of how development on a river turns its Development could only take place in an east/west responsive face to the river while forming a defensive edge direction, so it continued in a similar pattern on the eastern behind it. Later development forms its responsive edge to side of the river to that on the western side, however, the interact with previous development, thus creating an activity responsive face was towards the west which allowed for spine along the river. interaction with the river, but the river was never celebrated
CONTEXT 010 University of Pretoria etd - Butcher, A (2003)
2.4 Site Belle Ombre train station as it is through this gateway where much of the harvested plants are brought into the city. The reasons for choosing the site are mostly based around maximising resources. Much of the research done with medicinal plants is with highly infectious bacteria, viruses and their related diseases, such as Tuberculosis, Aids etc. (Meyer, 2003). This work is currently done in the isolated 2.12 Site overview from the south laboratories at the MRC, it would not be economical to build more of these laboratories as they have the capacity for an Rural increase in use. For this reason the EBRC needs to be linked Urban physically to the MRC.
A large component of the EBRC is the plant propagation within the terrariums as well as the open-air medicinal plant cultivation. It would be preferable if the site fitted into an existing greenbelt, while large spaces would be needed for the terrariums. Although brownfields sites are favoured in terms of sustainable development, it is justifiable to use a greenfields site if most of the site will be used to grow indigenous vegetation. In the Apies River Urban Design Framework there is an initiative to reintroduce indigenous plants to the Witwatersburg Ridge. There is an opportunity to continue this throughout the city by being linked to the ridges via the Apies River as at this point the rural environment meets the urban environment. Another advantage of being Rural on the river is the possibility (through damming) of the Urban establishment of a wetland for maximum plant diversity and using the water for irrigation.
There needs to be a strong link to the existing medicinal plant trading node in Marabastad so as to direct this practice in a more sustainable direction. By connecting to Marabastad, 2.13 Site overview from the east there is also the possibility of creating an important link to
011 CONTEXT University of Pretoria etd - Butcher, A (2003)
WITWATERSBERG
BELLE OMBRE STATION MRC MEINTJIESKOP
PTA TECH E V I R D
A L E D N
A MUCKLENEUK
SALVOKOP M
N O S L E
2.14 Pretoria aerial photo N
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